Toothbrush

ABSTRACT

A toothbrush including a brush head, a brush neck, and a brush handle. The brush head has a plurality of bristles, and the brush neck extends from the brush head and includes a first intermediate section and a second intermediate section connected to the first intermediate section, and the brush handle extends from the first intermediate section of the brush neck. The first intermediate section forms a first angle with the brush handle; the second intermediate section connects to the first intermediate section to form a second angle; and the second intermediate section forms a third angle corresponding to the brush head.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims benefit of and priority to Taiwan Patent Application Serial No. 111102000, entitled “TOOTHBRUSH”, filed on Jan. 18, 2022. The contents of the above-mentioned application are hereby incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.

FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to a toothbrush and, more particularly, to a toothbrush that cleans the hard-to-reach corners of the mouth without manual adjustment or rotation of the toothbrush body.

BACKGROUND

Dental health and overall health are inextricably connected, so modern people are increasingly concerned about the importance of “prevention is better than cure” to establish good oral hygiene and healthy teeth. Generally, if the cleaning of the teeth is neglected, even the best repair or denture techniques would not be comparable to natural teeth.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the most important and most difficult areas to be brushed are between the lower curved surface of the contour crest and the upper and lower gum line. These areas surround the surface of the teeth 360 degrees, and the 180-degree range within the 360 degrees (e.g., the buccal and lingual side), especially the lingual side (inner side), of the lower molars is particularly difficult to clean.

Referring to FIG. 2 , from an anatomical perspective, both the upper and lower dental arches are curved. Just as a curved arch gate is a stable structure, the curved dental arch is also important in stabilizing teeth of different shapes and functions on the same curve. Currently, there are three main types of dental arches: narrow, square, and oval. While each type of curved arch is stable, various types of dental arches could also be a source of interference when using a toothbrush with a straight brush head and neck.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , when viewed from the side of the dental arch, there is a special and regular phenomenon where the lower anterior teeth are high, and the lower posterior teeth have a gradual or steep declined curve. The height difference between these two forms a curve (e.g., the Curve of Spee), as shown in FIG. 3 . The advantage of the curve is that when the teeth perform a cutting action, the back teeth do not come into contact, avoiding unnecessary contact and wear. However, as shown in FIG. 4 , when a toothbrush with a straight brush head and neck are used on the height difference and tilt, the direction of the brush head cannot be parallel to the dental arch and teeth, but rather forms an X-shaped cross with the dental arch, meaning that only parts of the brush bristles come into contact with the teeth which makes the lingual side of the lower molars a major trouble area for oral cleanliness.

FIG. 5 separately illustrates an upper molar (lefthand side of FIG. 5 ), and a corresponding upper molar (righthand side of FIG. 5 ). Referring to FIG. 5 , in the three-dimensional environment formed by the teeth, on the lingual side (inner side) of the lower molars, the following anatomical characteristics are often seen. The angle of the lower curved surface of the contour crest of the lower molar (indicated by the lefthand horizontal arrow in FIG. 5 ) could provide a protective and self-cleaning effect on the gums and teeth when chewing food between the upper and lower molars. However, even after food is ground and dissolved in saliva, it still deposits on the teeth, and thus one side effect of the angle indicated in FIG. 5 is that it makes the lower curved surface of the contour crest one of the difficult areas to brush.

Referring to FIG. 10 , the posterior view of the dental arch also has a special and regular phenomenon where the lower posterior teeth have a slope towards the tongue and lower palate, forming a concave-upward curve (e.g., the Curve of Wilson). Like a camping tent peg, when the posterior teeth perform the up-and-down crushing and left-and-right grinding chewing actions, the curve provides a stable base, but also further increases the difficulty of brushing the lingual side of the lower molars.

SUMMARY

In view of the above problems, based on experience in the art for many years, an overall examination of structures of the toothbrush and habits of users has been conducted. Based on this examination, at least some implementations of the present disclosure provide a toothbrush that allows a user to clean the surface of the lingual side of teeth which are difficult to clean in the oral cavity without manual rotation or adjustment of the toothbrush by assistance of the brush neck.

In some implementations, the toothbrush of the present disclosure includes a brush head, a brush neck, and a brush handle. The brush head has a plurality of tufts of bristles. The brush neck extends from the brush head and includes a first intermediate section and a second intermediate section connected to the first intermediate section. The brush handle extends from the first intermediate section of the brush neck, wherein the first intermediate section forms a first angle with the brush handle. The second intermediate section connects with the first intermediate section to form a second angle, and the second intermediate section forms a third angle with the brush head. The toothbrush of the present disclosure, in some implementations, through the formation of the above angles, may allow the brush neck to assist the brush head to clean the hard-to-reach surfaces of the teeth on the tongue side without manual rotation of the toothbrush, effectively preventing periodontal disease and cavities, particularly on the lingual side of the lower molars.

In one implementation of the present disclosure, the first angle is in a range of 12 to 35 degrees, the second angle is in a range of -35 to 45 degrees, and the third angle is in a range of 15 to 85 degrees.

In another implementation of the present disclosure, between two ends of the second intermediate section which are close to and away from the first intermediate section is defined a height in a direction perpendicular to the second intermediate section, and the height is in a range of 4 to 15 millimeters (mm).

In another implementation of the present disclosure, the second intermediate section is approximately parallel to an arrangement of the third to seventh lower molars.

Through the above means, the brush head of the toothbrush of the present disclosure may avoid interference from tilted teeth or other factors by the assistance of the brush neck, allowing the user to clean the hard-to-reach corners of the teeth in the oral cavity smoothly without manual adjustment of the toothbrush itself.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side illustration of teeth inside an oral cavity.

FIG. 2 is a top illustration of various types of dental arches.

FIG. 3 is a side illustration of a Curve of Spee.

FIG. 4 is a side illustration of a toothbrush with a straight brush head and brush neck affected by the Curve of Spee.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a lower curved surface of a contour crest.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of an appearance of a toothbrush, according to an implementation of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is an illustration of an angle associated with a first intermediate section of a toothbrush, according to an implementation of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is an illustration of distances associated with the Curve of Spee that may be associated with a height of a second intermediate section of a toothbrush, according to an implementation of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 (top) is an illustration of a second angle associated with the second intermediate section of a toothbrush, according to an implementation of the present disclosure; and FIG. 9 (bottom) is an illustration of a second angle associated with the second intermediate section of a toothbrush, according to another implementation of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is an illustration of a Curve of Wilson.

FIG. 11 is an illustration of an inclination angle (a) of the teeth and an inclination angle (b) of the lower curved surface of a contour crest associated with the Curve of Wilson.

FIG. 12 is an illustration of an inclination angle of the brush head of a toothbrush, according to an implementation of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In combination with the accompanying drawings, the technical solutions of the implementation methods in the present disclosure are clearly and completely described below. It is apparent that the described implementation methods are merely a part of the implementation methods of the present disclosure, and not all of the implementation methods. Based on the implementation methods of the present disclosure, all other implementation methods obtained by one with ordinary skill in the art without making inventive efforts are within the scope of the present disclosure.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in the description have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the disclosure belongs. The terms used in the description are only intended to describe specific implementations of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the disclosure. The term “and/or” in the description includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items.

The following description includes specific details of exemplary implementations of the present disclosure. The accompanying drawings and their detailed description are merely illustrative of exemplary implementations of the disclosure. However, the present disclosure is not limited to these exemplary implementations. One with ordinary skill in the art would recognize other variations and implementations of the present disclosure. In addition, the drawings and examples in the present disclosure are generally not drawn to scale, and do not correspond to actual relative dimensions.

Referring to FIG. 6 , a toothbrush 20 of the present disclosure includes a brush head 201, a brush neck 202, and a brush handle 203. The brush neck 202 is connected to the brush head 201 and the brush handle 203. The brush head 201 is provided with a plurality of bristles 2011. The brush neck 202 includes a first intermediate section 2021 and a second intermediate section 2022. A distal end of the first intermediate section 2021 is connected to a proximal end of the second intermediate section 2022, and a proximal end of the first intermediate section 2021 is connected to the brush handle 203. Moreover, a distal end of the second intermediate section 2022, which is remote from the proximal end of the second intermediate section 2022 connected to the distal end of the first intermediate section 2021, is connected to the brush head 201. More specifically, in some implementations, the brush head 201 is connected to the brush handle 203 through the brush neck 202, and the angles formed by the brush handle 203 and the first intermediate section 2021, formed by the first intermediate section 2021 and the second intermediate section 2022 of the brush neck 202, may be different from each other. In addition, the angle formed by the brush head 201 relative to the brush neck 202 may also be different from the angles formed by the brush handle 203, the first intermediate section 2021, and the second intermediate section 2022.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the first intermediate section 2021 and the second intermediate section 2022 may lie in a plane that forms a first angle A with the brush handle 203 when viewed in a direction normal to the occlusal plane. As positioned in the particular example of FIG. 7 , the brush handle 203 may lie above, and parallel to, the occlusal plane, and may lie in a vertical plane that includes the dental midline. When the brush handle 203 is in such a position, the first angle A may be configured primarily to compensate for the curvature of the dental arch so that the distal end of the first intermediate section 2021 is closer to the lingual surface of the teeth. In some implementations, the first angle A may be preferably in a range of 12 to 35 degrees. Referring to FIG. 7 , in one implementation, the first intermediate section 2021 is aligned parallel to the arrangement of the third to seventh lower molars.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9 , the second intermediate section 2022 forms a second angle B with the first intermediate section 2021 in a side view orthogonal to the brush handle 203. The second angle B may compensate for the inclination angle of the anterior teeth (e.g., overbite or underbite), and the second angle B may be preferably in a range of −35 to 45 degrees. In order to enable the second intermediate section 2022 to match the height difference between the lower anterior teeth and the lower posterior teeth, in one implementation, the angle of the second intermediate section 2022 relative to the first intermediate section 2021 may in part define a height H formed by a height difference C1 between the anterior and posterior teeth (as shown on the lefthand side of FIG. 8 ) plus the vertical height C2 of at least one of the posterior teeth (as shown on the righthand side of FIG. 8 ), which may be in a range of 4 to 15 mm. To provide this height, when viewed according to the side view of FIG. 9 , the first intermediate section 2021 may also form an angle with the brush handle 203 that is substantially complementary with the second angle B so that the second intermediate section 2022 lies in a plane that is parallel to the occlusal plane and is below the horizontal plane in which the brush handle 203 lies.

Referring to FIGS. 10 through 12 , the brush head 201 forms a third angle D corresponding to the second intermediate section 2022. More specifically, as described above, FIG. 10 depicts the posterior view of the dental arch, in which the lower posterior teeth form a concave-upward curve (e.g., the Curve of Wilson). In providing similar views as FIG. 10 , FIG. 11 depicts a first (general) inclination angle (a) of the teeth (e.g., one or more of the lower molars) (lefthand side of FIG. 11 ) and an inclination angle (b) of the lower curved surface of the teeth. As illustrated in FIG. 12 , the third angle D is formed by adding the inclination angle (a) and the inclination angle (b), thus allowing the brush head 201 to compensate for the angle at which the lower molars are inclined towards the lingual side and the angle near the gum line of the teeth by angling the brush head 201 upward from horizontal by the third angle D. Therefore, the third angle D at which the bristles 2011 of the brush head 201 tilt upward may bring the bristles 2011 closer to the hard-to-reach surface of the teeth, and the third angle D may be preferably in a range of 15 to 85 degrees. In some implementations, the third angle D represents a rotational angle of the brush head 201 about an axis defined by the second intermediate section 2022 relative to the horizontal direction.

Referring generally to FIGS. 6 through 12 , in addition to the overall structure of the toothbrush 20 being different from a conventional toothbrush with a straight brush head 21, the toothbrush 20 of the present disclosure mainly assists the brush head 201 in cleaning through the first intermediate section 2021 and second intermediate section 2022 of the brush neck 202. More specifically, various factors, such as the shape of the dental arch, tooth arrangement, or tooth height in the oral cavity, may interfere with the cleaning of the toothbrush. To avoid interference, the straight brush head 21 of the conventional toothbrush must be manually rotated or the inclination angle of the toothbrush must be adjusted to allow the brush head reach areas that are difficult to brush. However, the first intermediate section 2021 and second intermediate section 2022 of the toothbrush 20 of the present disclosure are designed in advance to prevent the brush neck 202 of the toothbrush 20 from being interfered with when being inserted into the oral cavity for cleaning, and therefore, the first intermediate section 2021 and second intermediate section 2022 mainly provide the effects of assisting the brush head 201 in cleaning areas that are difficult to reach with the conventional straight brush head 21. The third angle D formed by the brush head 201 is also designed in advance to allow the toothbrush 20 to smoothly clean hard-to-reach areas without manual adjustment of the user when being inserted into the oral cavity for cleaning the teeth through the assistance of the first intermediate section 2021 and second intermediate section 2022. Therefore, the first intermediate section 2021, the second intermediate section 2022, and the third angle D formed by the brush head 201 may provide an intuitive and convenient tooth cleaning effect.

Furthermore, when the user grasps the brush handle 203 of the toothbrush 20 for use, viewed from the brush head 201 to the brush handle 203, the first intermediate section 2021 is formed by extending in a direction of lower left from a part connected with the brush handle 203 to the brush head 201, and the second intermediate section 2022 is formed by extending in a direction of upper left from a part connected with the first intermediate section 2021 to the brush head 201, and the brush head 201 is rotated in a clockwise direction from a part connected with the second intermediate section 2022 to a value not exceeding the third angle D, causing the bristles 2011 of the brush head 201 to be slightly to the upper left.

As shown in FIG. 12 , designing the third angle D of the present disclosure requires professional knowledge of oral medicine, such as dental anatomy, to understand the importance of cleaning the deepest part of the lower curved surface of the contour crest and the tooth surface of the upper and lower gum line of each tooth. It also requires knowledge of oral physiology and periodontology to know that these positions (referring to FIGS. 1 and 5 ) are the main parts that are associated with dental plaque, calculus, gingivitis, and periodontal disease, and periodontal disease is one of the two main causes of oral bleeding, halitosis, tooth instability, and tooth extraction. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 8 through 11 , the above conclusion requires professional knowledge in orthodontics and oral three-dimensional structure, as well as periodontal knowledge of the relationships between teeth, gums, and periodontal tissue. Without knowledge of dental anatomy, most people would not be aware of the need to clean the location associated with a brush head having the third angle D.

Furthermore, even if one has the above professional knowledge, it is still difficult for a conventional toothbrush with a straight brush head and neck or a toothbrush with the first angle A and the second angle B to reach the tooth surfaces between the lower curved surface of the contour crest and the upper and lower gum line because the tooth surfaces that may be reached by the third angle D are steep, slippery, and difficult to stay on. Additionally, most people do not have the professional knowledge, so it is not easy to develop a modified conventional toothbrush to reach the position where the brush head having a third angle D could reach.

Furthermore, referring to FIG. 12 , since it is also necessary to find and maintain the angle of grip of the brush handle 203 when brushing teeth, it requires skill to reach the position that the third angle D may reach. Even after mastering the skill, it still requires practice to reach the position that a brush head at the third angle D may reach during brushing teeth because the brush head of the toothbrush and saliva and toothpaste would obstruct the view of the teeth. Therefore, the first angle A, the second angle B, and the third angle D formed by the brush handle, the first intermediate section 2021, the second intermediate section 2022, and the brush head 201 in the toothbrush 20 of the present disclosure are all designed in advance to avoid interference with the structure of the brush neck 202 when the toothbrush is inserted into the oral cavity for cleaning. The formation of the first angle A and the second angle B may help the effectiveness of cleaning hard-to-reach areas with a normal straight brush head. The formation of the third angle D in the present disclosure allows the user to easily clean the hard-to-reach areas of the teeth without much practice or manual adjustment, simply by the assistance of the first intermediate section 2021 and the second intermediate section 2022, allowing the toothbrush 20 to deeply clean the oral cavity. A conventional toothbrush with straight brush head and neck (such as the straight brush head 21 of a conventional toothbrush in FIG. 12 ) and a toothbrush with only the first angle A and the second angle B of the present disclosure could only brush the upper curved surface of the contour crest on the lingual side of the teeth. However, the toothbrush 20 of the present disclosure has the first angle A, the second angle B, and the third angle D, which may brush the overall surface of the lingual side of the teeth and the hard-to-reach corner near the contour crest and the gum line.

As described above, it is apparent that various techniques may be used to implement the concepts described in the application without departing from the scope of the concepts. Further, although the concepts have been described with certain embodiments, one with ordinary skill in the art would recognize that variations in form and detail may be made without departing from the scope of the concepts. In this way, the described implementations are to be considered in all respects to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the present application is not limited to the specific implementations described above, but that many rearrangements, modifications, and substitutions may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

It can be understood that for one of ordinary skill in the art, various consequential changes and variations may be made based on the technical concept of the present disclosure, and all such changes and variations should fall within the scope of claims of the present disclosure. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A toothbrush comprising: a brush head having a plurality of bristles; a brush neck extending from the brush head and comprising a first intermediate section and a second intermediate section connected to the first intermediate section; and a brush handle extending from the first intermediate section of the brush neck, wherein the first intermediate section forms a first angle with the brush handle, and the first angle is in a range of 12 to 35 degrees in a top view; the second intermediate section connects with the first intermediate section to form a second angle, and the second angle is in a range of −35 to 45 degrees in a side view; and the brush head forms a third angle about an axis defined by the second intermediate section relative to a horizontal direction, and the third angle is in a range of 15 to 85 degrees, and wherein, when a user grasps the brush handle for use, viewed from the brush head to the brush handle, the first intermediate section is formed by extending in a direction of lower left from a part connected with the brush handle to the brush head, and the second intermediate section is formed by extending in a direction of upper left from a part connected with the first intermediate section to the brush head, and the brush head is rotated in a clockwise direction from a part connected with the second intermediate section to a value not exceeding the third angle, to cause the bristles of the brush head to be directed slightly to the upper left.
 2. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein between two ends of the second intermediate section which are close to and away from the first intermediate section is defined a height in a direction perpendicular to the first intermediate section, and the height is in a range of 4 to 15 mm.
 3. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the first intermediate section is approximately parallel to an arrangement of the third to seventh lower molars of the user. 